Small brewers from Australia to Oregon face the daunting prospect of tweaking their recipes or experimenting less with new brews thanks to a worldwide shortage of one key beer ingredient and rising prices for others.
Oh, and one other thing: Beer prices are likely to climb. How high is anybody's guess. Craft brewers don't have the means to hedge against rising prices, like their industrial rivals.

It's not just hype. I got enough hops to last me a few years if I have to and grain enough to last a year. I dropped in to my local Micro yesterday to chat and he told me he was secure as he had locked in supply with his hop provider for the next two years.
While I was there, I ordered a couple more sacks of 2 row.

I'd hate to see him go out of business, and not just as he provides me with cheaper grain, but because I like the beer he makes. And he is a heck of a fine fellow besides.

Hopefully this is one of those things that the craft brew industry can ride over. Like I've probably said more than once, I'm now part of a starting brewery and this concerns me that it'll really hurt the bottom line. The good thing is, it sounds like this will ride out in a year or too...I'm telling you, ethanol is the root of a lot of problems, both economical and beer-related.

It is total crap. You mean to tell me that the BMCs are going to have to raise their prices? they are that slow and blind that they dont buy futures? wrong. they have their hops paid for well in advance(years, same with grain), BUT, they are buying extra now at a higher price to drive the smaller but makert share taking micros costs up. If it wasnt for that i bet there would be nothing to talk about here, a non-issue.